Porsche 911 Carrera RS Coupe

Description

Even a short drive in the Carrera 2.7 RS quickly demonstrates why the car is such a legend. The performance immediacy purity and communication the car provides represent the true essence of the vintage 911 and quickly establishes the car as one of the most visceral and thrilling cars of any era. Based on the top of the range 911S the RS was created for the FIA's new series of production-based sports car which required at least 500 examples to be built within a 12 month period in order to homologate the car for racing. The RS was a one year only model that proved to be so popular that the original production run of 500 cars was expanded twice.
The recipe for its development was familiar: more power less weight and a more focused chassis. The engine was expanded from 2.3 liters (which Porsche optimistically badged as 2.4 liters) to a genuine 2.7 liters (2 687cc) coupled with Nikasil coated cylinder linings to enhance durability and Porsche's familiar MFI Bosch mechanical fuel injection and 915 5-speed gearbox. Independent front suspension with MacPherson struts torsion bars and anti-roll bars were coupled with independent rear suspension and transverse torsion bars tubular shock absorbers and an anti-roll bar. Wider wheels necessitated flared rear wheel arches to accommodate the wider track. The four-wheel disc brakes provided much needed stopping power to haul down the powerful acceleration the capable RS could achieve. Weight was reduced through a reduction in sound proofing some fiberglass body panels and thinner glass. Indeed weighing in at a mere 2 370 pounds in the more luxurious “Touring” form the Carrera RS was capable of 150 mph top speeds and a jaw dropping 0- 60 time of just 5.5 seconds.
Cosmetically the car was reworked to create its now iconic look: a fiberglass duck tail and new front bumper reduced weight and drag while simultaneously increasing downforce while bold contrasting Carrera scripts were added to the sides of the car to decisively declare the return of the Carrera a moniker which had laid dormant on Porsche street cars since the demise of the legendary four-cam 356 Carrera in 1965. The RS was offered in two main forms the Touring and the Lightweight (option codes M472 and M471 respectively). While the Touring had nearly all of the equipment of the 911S including steel rear bumper and overriders full deco strips full door panels and seats and even available sunroof the Lightweight had fiberglass bumpers lightweight seats and door panels and numerous other deletions. Despite Porsche's uncertainty about the popularity of the model its production run of 500 cars sold out almost instantly and ultimately 1580 examples were built.